Orange County Car Accident Lawyer – An Overview of Local Crashes

Orange County is a booming and bustling area in Southern California. In 1970, just over 1.4 million people lived here. As of 2015, more than 3 million people called Orange County home. That’s not only double the number of people who live here, it’s double the number of vehicles you’ll find on the road at any given time. That’s also why Orange County is notorious for its heavy traffic conditions. Unfortunately, all of these vehicles in one area leads to a high number of Orange County car accidents. Thousands of people every year face the difficult situation of having to pursue a recovery for losses incurred because of the negligent or reckless driving of someone else. Below is an overview of this issue. Contact an Orange County car accident lawyer at Gomez Trial Attorneys immediately if you’ve been injured in a crash.

Orange County Car Accident Statistics – 2015

14,802 Orange County car accidents occurred in 2015. 156 of these crashes led to at least one fatality, and 14,646 people suffered injuries. That breaks down to more than 40 Orange County car accidents per day and more than 40 people suffering injuries in car accidents on a daily basis. The 5 most common types of collisions that occur in relation to Orange County car accidents in order are:

Rear end crashes

Broadside collisions

Hitting an object

Sideswipe collisions

Head-on crashes

The number of crashes in Orange County has been rising slightly but steadily in recent years, so this is a danger that is becoming more prevalent for every motorist in the area.

Orange County Car Accidents – Costs We Can Help You with Immediately

A person who has been wrongfully injured in an Orange County car accident faces several different forms of financial loss. Examples of these losses and estimates as to what they can involve include:

Property damage – The average auto liability claim for an auto accident is for more than $3,000.

Medical expenses – These costs can vary but can rise to hundreds of thousands of dollars if not more in cases of severe injury.

Lost income – These losses also vary but can quickly become untenable if someone is unable to work after a crash.

Future losses – If someone requires future medical care after a car accident, those costs can ultimately add up to more than a hospital stay. Future lost income can also be financially debilitating.

These costs do not include intangible forms of loss forced upon someone who is wrongfully injured in a crash. The loss of quality of life, the loss of companionship and others are examples of these intangible forms of loss. These costs also do not account for when someone is killed in an accident.

Insurance Companies and Car Accidents

The first thing most people do after a car accident is file an insurance claim. We pay our auto insurance premiums and we reasonably expect that if we need our coverage that it will come through for us. Unfortunately, that is not always what occurs. Insurance companies tend to offer settlements that are low in number. They do so in hopes that an injured party will simply accept the funds and release that insurance company from any future liability. Accepting an offer that is too low often leads to future stress when those funds are exhausted and costs continue to arise. This is why people who are harmed in crashes need to avoid negotiating with insurance companies alone.

Types of Damages Pursued by an Orange County Car Accident Lawyer

When people who are harmed by negligent or reckless drivers retain an Orange County car accident lawyer after a crash, they often see an immediate difference in the process of pursuing and recovering damages. Examples of the types of damages that an Orange County car accident lawyer will pursue include:

Past medical costs

Future medical costs

Past lost income

Future lost income

Pain and suffering

Loss of companionship

Property damage costs

There are others types of damages that could be pursued depending on the specifics of a particular accident, but the bottom line is that an Orange County car accident lawyer will pursue all forms of damages that are appropriate. These losses can sometimes be difficult to quantify for someone who does not possess a legal background.

What to Do After an Orange County Car Accident

There are some steps you should consider taking if you are involved in an Orange County car accident that you don’t believe is your fault. You should also take these steps if you believe that your percentage of fault is minor. These potential steps include:

File your insurance claim – You should handle this as soon as possible to get that process started.

Seek medical attention – Obtain a full medical evaluation even if you do not feel as though you are seriously injured. There are dangerous injuries that occur that are not excruciatingly painful.

Seek legal advice – It won’t be long before you start hearing from insurance company representatives. You should have an attorney helping you by the time this process begins.

If you make sure you take these steps, you’ll be able to focus on your recovery as opposed to attempting to navigate through an unfamiliar situation while dealing with professionals who do this sort of thing for a living. You need to level the playing field and let other experienced professionals negotiate with the professionals representing insurance companies.

Contact an Orange County Car Accident Lawyer

If you or someone you love has been injured by someone else in a crash, you need to not only make sure you obtain the help of an Orange County car accident lawyer, but you need the help of an Orange County car accident lawyer who has earned a strong track record of positive results. Contact Gomez Trial Attorneys today to schedule a free initial consultation so you can proceed with a sound understanding of what needs to be done. Clients who have worked with us have found that their cases have had greater value. We are the premier litigation firm in Orange County.